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• British American Tobacco to move from Morocco to Algeria 

Well informed sources told El Khabar that the international tobacco group British American Tobacco, BAT is closely following the privatization file of the state owned sulphur and tobacco company, SNTA.

Meanwhile, it has started transferring its activities based in Morocco to Algeria in order to back up its position in the local market.

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Morocco factory owner charged after fire kills 55 

Moroccan prosecutors charged the owner of a Casablanca mattress factory with criminal negligence and manslaughter on Tuesday after 55 of his workers were killed by fire in the country's worst industrial accident in years.

The blaze began with a discarded cigarette and quickly engulfed the four-storey building because it was storing highly flammable chemicals, according to officials. . . .

Some of the 100 workers in the building -- most of whom were women and girls -- were rescued by local residents who smashed a wall and dragged them out as the fire raged on.

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• Morocco hears cigarette butt caused blaze that left 55 dead 

Casablanca's chief prosecutor said Tuesday that the weekend fire at a mattress factory which killed at least 55 people was started by a discarded cigarette butt, state media said.

"It was a case of human error after a cigarette end fell on inflammable materials," the prosecutor said in a statement.

An individual suspected of throwing the lit cigarette away carelessly is accused of "involuntary" fire-starting, causing damage to buildings, contents and "causing the death of more than one person" while injuring others.

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• Activists demand implementation of Global Tobacco Treaty 

Despite of more than two years have passed by since the Government of Morocco had signed the FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) on April 16, 2004, ratification of this global tobacco treaty is still pending. The need to contain tobacco-related diseases, morbidity and mortality, has further intensified.

Tobacco companies have been aggressively promoting their brands and protecting markets, employing lifestyle and glamour imagery and surrogate advertising unabashedly. Tobacco brand placement in films have been under scanner and India's Union Health Minister Dr Ambumani Ramadoss had reaffirmed recently in an interview that “One of the easiest ways to significantly bring down the number of children and youth who get initiated to tobacco use in India, without any budgetary allocation for this public health exercise, is to remove the depiction of tobacco use in films and TV”.

This year again, tobacco control activists in different parts of the world are coming together to organise the 8th International Week of Resistance to Transnational Tobacco companies (IWR) including those in Morocco, from September 25-29, 2006.

A one-day symbolic fast shall be observed in India on Thursday September 28, 2006 at Jantar Mantar. An International release in 20 countries of the 2nd Global Tobacco Treaty Action Guide, produced by Corporate Accountability International (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) with the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) shall be the hallmark of this year's IWR in 20 nations across the globe.

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The Moroccan State extends the monopoly granted to Régie des Tabacs for three years 

The Moroccan State has approved a decree law published on July 31 that extends the monopoly on the import and wholesale of tobacco products until December 31, 2010. The monopoly was granted to Régie des Tabacs du Maroc (RTM), which is 80%-owned by Altadis since 2003.

The decree law modifies law 46-02, which has governed the tobacco industry since April 2003. This law initially called for the elimination of the monopoly on the import and wholesale of tobacco products on December 31, 2007. Today’s decree law provides for a three-year extension.

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Altadis buys 20% of Morocco's Regie des Tabacs 

The Franco-Spanish tobacco group Altadis said on Tuesday that it has bought the 20 percent of Morocco's Regie des Tabacs du Maroc (RTM) it did not already own for €370mn (about $470mn).

The decision to buy the stake from the Moroccan state came after Rabat extended RTM's monopoly on the wholesale import and distribution of tobacco through 2010.

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Morocco extends Altadis' RTM tobacco distribution monopoly to 2010 from 2007 

Altadis SA said the Moroccan government has extended its Regie des Tabacs du Maroc (RTM) unit's monopoly on wholesale import and distribution of tobacco to 2010 from 2007.

Altadis holds 80 pct of Regie des Tabacs du Maroc (RTM), with the Moroccan state holding the other 20 pct.

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Health : Ramadan, a chance to stop smoking 

The holy month of Ramadan offers smokers the opportunity to progressively get rid of the lethal habit that daily kills millions of persons around the globe.

Lung cancer affects smokers 25 times more than nonsmokers.

Recent studies have shown that 34% of Moroccan men and less than 1% of Moroccan women who are 20 years old or more are smokers.

Taking pleasure in giving off smoke from their cigarettes, smokers ignore the fact that they threaten not only their lives, but also those of the persons around them.

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Over 251,000 smuggled cigarette packs incinerated in Casablanca 

The National Commission for fighting smuggling (CNLCC) incinerated Wednesday in Casablanca 251,380 cigarette packs, worth MAD 3,7 million (around USD 411,000), seized during various operations in 2005.

Some 109,000 of these cigarette packs were seized in Casablanca, 135,380 in Ouarzazate (south) and 7,000 between Ouarzazate and Casablanca, said Naim Al Khatib, an official at the Tobacco company.

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Get a Detailed Picture of the Tobacco Industry - Tobacco In Morocco 

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Tobacco in Morocco to their offering.

The Tobacco in Morocco report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (1999-2004), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands, and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new legislative, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2009 illustrate how the market is set to change.

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Moroccan association to launch anti-tobacco campaign 

The Association of Life and Earth Sciences Teachers (AESVT-Maroc) is set to launch an awareness campaign among the public and the decision-makers to fight tobacco smoking, said a communiqué of the association.

Ninety percent of cancers are linked to tobacco smoking, says the communiqué quoting statistics of "Altadis Group" released on December 2004. The statistics point out that 34% of men aged 20 and 3.3% of women under 35 smoke.

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Tobacco in Morocco - Research and Markets - Market Research Reports 

Our Tobacco in Morocco report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (1999-2004), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new legislative, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2009 illustrate how the market is set to change.

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Health / Tobacco decree under way 

The government 15-91 decree banning smoking and tobacco advertisements in certain public areas is being approved, announced Biadillah, Wednesday in Rabat.

The Minister of Health, who was answering a question by the House of Representatives, indicated that his department has elaborated the decree in collaboration with the Ministries of Justice, Interior and Industry. If ratified, the new decree will also force cigarette producers to write warnings on cigarette packs. According to MAP, more than 90% of cancer cases in Morocco are caused by tobacco. The same source stated that 34% of Moroccans aged more than 20 are smokers.

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Smoking, a major cause of death in Morocco 

"Smoking is a major cause of death in Morocco, with a high rate of tobacco-associated cardiovascular and respiratory diseases," said Noureddine Chaouki, Head of the Department of Non-transmissible Diseases at the Health Ministry, said MAP.

Dr. Chaouki, who took part in the World Health Organization in the negotiations that led to the Framework Agreement on Tobacco control, which will enter into force on Feb. 27, told MAP that "34% of Moroccan men and 1% of Moroccan women aged over 20 are smokers."

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2004: 14.5 billion cigarettes sold in Morocco 

Smoking is a major cause of death in Morocco, with a high rate of tobacco-associated cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, said Noureddine Chaouki, head of the department of non-transmissible diseases at the health ministry.

Dr. Chaouki told MAP that 34% of Moroccan men and 1% of Moroccan women aged over 20 are smokers.

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